BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE VIRGINIA BEACH — Voters on Tuesday, Nov. 7, chose state Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, to return in the 81st House District, but he said it was a bittersweet victory as other Virginia Republicans fell — including at… Continue Reading →

THE INDEPENDENT NEWS President Trump designated Sunday, Oct. 15 through Saturday, Oct. 21, as National Character Counts Week in a proclamation that cannot be faulted. “Our actions – often done first out of duty – become habits ingrained in the… Continue Reading →

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — The words we use matter, and there is a word I care about that is unfairly maligned in our increasingly partisan discourse. That word is rhetoric, misused by opponents of certain ideas as shorthand for what… Continue Reading →

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — I recently wrote about what some call “fake news,” a term that is inexact to the point of uselessness. It generally means stories presented to mislead by including fabricated material, whether in whole or in part.… Continue Reading →

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE VIRGINIA BEACH – State Del. Glenn Davis, R-84th District, is shifting gears to seek reelection to the General Assembly following his defeat in a primary to be the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor. Davis came in third… Continue Reading →

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE VIRGINIA BEACH – Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in the Tuesday, June 13, primary elections for two Virginia House of Delegates races say Medicaid expansion is a major concern for their campaigns. Candidates Kimberly Anne Tucker and… Continue Reading →

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE SANDBRIDGE – City officials this past month briefed civic league members on plans to conduct the next major sand replenishment project here. The target remains 2018 — though whether federal dollars will help is uncertain. Dan Adams, coastal… Continue Reading →

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE COURTHOUSE — Since the days before the modern city, Virginia Beach has paid to add more sand to the beach – and it ultimately entered into formal arrangements with the federal government that include cost sharing and cooperation… Continue Reading →

BY CLAUDIA ISLER NORFOLK — Despite what I know about the drawbacks, it is my nightly habit to look at my phone for a few minutes before I sleep. I used to just set my alarm and start some soothing thunderstorm… Continue Reading →

BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE PUNGO — There is discussion of anonymous sources on the national scene, which is timely because I made a decision to use an unidentified source in a story published earlier this month in an edition of The Independent… Continue Reading →